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Shengshi
Summary Shengshi is Galbar's god of rivers. A simple water spirit of some nameless puddle in the previous world, the hospitable Lord of the Thousand Streams drifted almost unknowingly into Galbar's universe and was granted immeasurable power by the Architect. Now, Shengshi dreams of a world of prosperity for all gods and mortals - united by a etwork of water. Fengshui Fuyou - the world spring It is said to be where all rivers ultimately begin - it is the true source of fresh water, the world spring. At the sphere's centre is a colossal caldera, home to a great, cyan pool that branches into a network of countless rivers and streams, flowing into all parts of the universe. In between the criss-crossing web of water, small patches of land verdant and fertile peek up from underneath the waves. It is unknown, even to Shengshi, where the water that passes through Fengshui Fuyou eventually ends up. Shengshi himself reasons that, eventually, it all ends up back in the world spring, somehow. It is pretty certain, though, that much of the river water flows into Galbar. The waters bring along all manner of nutritious soils and clays, colouring the water earthen and dark and feeding the surrounding vegetation. On Galbar, this occasionally leads to powerful growth spurts in river valleys and algae blooms in lakes and seas. In an entropic manner, the rivers in Fengshui Fuyou will occasionally flood and cover the entire sphere in dark, muddy water that drowns all non-aquatic life and levels all land. However, in time, the floods always retreat and life blossoms anew, just as lively and verdant as before, if not even more so. This phenomenon is, however, deeply despised by Shengshi, as he abhors entropy, opting rather for calm, collected stability. Jiangzhou, the Castle on the River Upon the widest river in the network exists a single, huge junk ship, upon which a wooden castle has been built. This is the Jiangzhou, home of Shengshi. When he is not working to bring life to river basins around the world, he returns home to invite both the godly and the mortal to great feasts and parties, or sits by himself playing his harp or writing poetry. The decks of the colossal ship are manned by sizeable water globules that take care of the logistical work by carrying around items on top of them, scrubbing the floor in the meantime. It should be noted that these globules always are moving - the second they stop, they collapse into a puddle that shortly after drips off the closest side of the boat. The boat has neither sails, oars nor any kind of rudder - it relies entirely on the streams to carry it to wherever the rivers eventually lead. No matter how tumulteous the waters the ship sails, the ship will never tip over. At least, it hasn't happened yet. Location While the realm of Fengshui Fuyou is located very close to Galbar itself, almost parallel, it is elevated slightly above the middle realm, as water has to flow downwards. Yet, it is certainly no heavenly realm. It is definitely closer to the Middle Sphere than its Celestial neighbours, but it shares a close border with the So'E, home of the Rain Goddess Li'Kalla, from which it receives a great deal of mist and rain. Furthermore, the mysterious world spring itself has complex, intricate connections to a handful of other celestial spheres, one of which is the Horizon Grotto. Kirron's "work" in the Grotto feeds the world spring unmeasurable volumes of water, a gift for which Shengshi is more than grateful. The sphere's proximity to Galbar means it has a rather direct influence on the Middle Sphere, and Galbar has a powerful influence on it. Additionally, as water flows downwards, it is very plausible that spheres above Fengshui Fuyou can access the world spring through the simple coincidence of sphere alignment - however, it is nigh impossible for Fengshui Fuyou to randomly connect to the spheres above it. Mastery of Rivers As perhaps one of the most crucial sources of drinking water for all land-dwelling life, the presence of rivers, or a lack thereof, leaves a profound mark on the surrounding ecosystem that cannot be ignored. Shengshi has the ability to influence the twists and turns of these rivers, to slow some flows and speed up others, and to clean streams of filth. This power also allows him to carve rivers much easier. However, his abilities do not affect waters salty and still. As such, his influences does not extend to the lakes and seas of Galbar. The control of water gives Shengshi a direct influence over life along his rivers. This power is, however, limited to sustaining or destroying ecosystems through the control of water. Furthermore, the river lord's subjects, those who dwell within his rivers, not only understand their liege's words and can make themselves understood, but also obey his commands without questions. This applies to the fish, reptiles and amphibians that dwell in Shengshi's rivers. Abilities Additionally, Shengshi’s form and portfolio gives him certain slightly less magnificent powers. * Among these powers is his ability to swim incredibly fast. While his upper half indeed is humanoid, his serpentine lower half gives him incredible alacrity in the water. Persona Lawful Good. Shengshi wishes only to please as many as possible, and for everyone to please one another. He only ever deviates from this intent when his guests overstep their boundaries. Shengshi, much like the rivers he sails, wishes life to flow along uninterrupted. As such, he values peace and stability over all. He has a poetic soul, often finding inspiration in the patterns of water and the life underneath. He amateurishly expresses these inspirations in the form of music and poetry. In his own eyes, Shengshi sees himself as playing the role of a host at an ever-lasting feast. Shengshi loves and welcomes all living things that settle on his rivers’ basins, and his greatest wish for his “guests”, to put it that way, is to provide for their every need. As such, he makes certain to clean his rivers regularly so his guests may only drink deep in the purest waters in existence. He keeps his guests comfortable and warm through water temperature management, and makes certain that they sleep soundly to the sounds of calm, docile streams. All executed to the best of his ability as a gracious host. In coherence with his obsession with being a host, he expresses generousity at an almost fanatical level, constantly bombarding his friends with gifts. Shengshi can be described as respectful and kind to both mortals and gods. He holds firmly the belief that conflict is to be avoided at all costs, and will do everything in his power to satisfy his guests in hopes that conflict will remain at a minimum. Although Shengshi upholds a strict code of honesty, he will always be very careful not to speak the truth if it could cause conflict. As such, like the rivers twist and turn around obstacles, his words will twist and shape into excuses and agreements that avoid him putting someone else, or himself, in a poor light. However, as a host, he of course demands similar attitudes towards him, and those that fail to act as such are deemed “uninvited”, so to speak. He does not actually -say- what he demands, however. To punish the wicked offenders Shengshi will, to the best of his ability, strive to politely ask these unwanted guests to leave his domains, whether that be his sphere or his river valleys. How he does this varies depending on the severity of the guest’s faux pas, but he will never directly ask someone to leave. Naturally, this only applies to those who are actually on Shengshi’s domain. When Shengshi himself acts the guest, he will hold his host in the highest respect, sometimes going so far as to portray himself as a mere demigod in comparison. His ambition is to one day end conflict between mortals and have friend and foe feast together at great banquets, and have countries that once despised one another before engage in trade and collective progress towards a great future. He understands that this is a daunting task, but firmly believes water can be the tool that unites all life under a banner of peace and prosperity. Appearance Shengshi’s torso is humanoid in appearance, with well-toned features, apart from a slightly rounded pot-belly. From top to tail, Shengshi stands roughly eight feel tall. White, leathery skin covers most of his chest, abdomen and face, but the rest of his body boasts a coat of glistening, crimson scales. From his stomach and downwards, his body curves and twists into a long, serpentine tail, white as marble on the front and red as the dawn on the back. The tail is adorned with glistening fins and completed by a small, pointed tuft of hair at the very tip. In coherence with his serpentine body, Shengshi’s face likewise displays both humanoid and draconic features. His lower and upper jaws stick a little more out in front, and his high, sharp cheekbones give his cheeks a stretched look about them. His nose flattens out right below the bridge, appearing almost feline. The nose gives way to a wide, fanged mouth dressed in a black mustache, which hangs from his upper lip like two blackened jungle vines, reaching his throat. His eyes, ringed with black lines, slant somewhat upwards at the outer edges, roofed with two black eyebrows that each stretch far out on each side of his face. His pupils take the colour of the last river he looked into, so he strives to keep all his rivers as clean as possible so his eyes glisten like a lake in the moon’s glow. His pointed ears grow upwards and curve slightly towards the top, much like a pair of short sabres. From the top of Shengshi’s skull sprout two long antlers in the middle of a long mane of black hair, that itself hangs down to his shoulders. Musical Theme Guzheng: "Spring River Flower Moon Night"